Thursday, April 28, 2016

5 Tips for a More Powerful Soccer Kick

Have you ever wanted to boot a ball across the field from one goal to the other? Or maybe to develop your skills and become a powerhouse kicker? Here is a list of tips to get you kicking a ball clear across that soccer dome. (These might be useful for football kickers, too!)

There are 2 ways to get a stronger soccer kick: 1- get stronger, and 2-get better technique. We all know how to get stronger—go to the gym and work out. Our tips will focus on techniques and things to practice to get you blasting that ball into the net every time.

* Lead with your knee first, and kick your foot out quickly at the last moment.

* Hit the ball with the knuckle of your big toe.

* Carry your momentum through the shot (give it your all!)

* Watch the ball connect with your foot (you should be slightly bent over when connecting with the ball).

2. Practice properly

You won’t get that perfect kick without practice, so set yourself up with lots of time, space, and a bunch of soccer balls. The greatest kickers are essentially on auto-pilot, and all the little minutiae of their kicks are muscle memory.

Eventually, with enough practice, the kick will just feel right.

If you play indoors, practice shooting inside on turf. Soccer balls travel very differently and can go a lot further on turf.

Wherever you decide to practice, make sure to set up in an area with plenty of space and no people or things that can be damaged by a stray shot. To really get power, you need to let loose—this means many shots that go wide!

3. Use your opposite foot

Don’t forget to practice with both feet. In a soccer match, conditions are never perfect and you need to be able to let loose your shot in whatever position you find yourself.

Being just as skilled with both feet means you’ll have twice as much opportunity to get that shot off!

4. Watch the Greats

While it might look like all soccer players are shooting the ball in the exact same way, take a closer look at how the top players in the world kick. Videos like this one show the kick in slow motion, letting you break down just what they are doing differently. Find a player that moves similar to the way you do and pay attention! You might just be able to integrate something into your own kick.

5. Practice all year

Like any skill—if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it! Don’t let your newfound ball skills get rusty over the winter. Many players hang up their boots for the season, but to remain on top, you need to keep up on those drills.

Indoor soccer is bigger than ever and facilities like soccer domes are popping up all over the place. Find one nearby and join a league to keep that golden leg in its prime. We hope some of these tips come in useful for any soccer players out there. And if you become a super-kicker, try not to blast a hole right through the wall of your soccer dome (although, that would be incredibly impressive to see!)